Photos: The Very Tasty Liberation of Paris

Photos: The Very Tasty Liberation of Paris

Five years ago, a 29-year-old chef from Chicago opened a tiny, instantly beloved restaurant in Paris called Spring, and that made it official: An unstoppable food revolution was under way. While generations of chefs had fretted about living up to the stifling dictates of French cuisine and earning Michelin stars, a new generation has turned its back on stuffiness and is creating vital, vibrant—sometimes American-influenced—restaurants. In Paris today, the customer and not the chef comes first. Alan Richman tastes the revolution